10 Of The Best Hanging Core Exercises

You may think of crunches, sit-ups, and other floor exercises when you think of core exercises. Even so, there are also hanging core exercises.

The pull-up bar and stall bars are the most straightforward example of fitness equipment you can use to do hanging core exercises. However, they are not the only, and not even the most effective ones, you can use.

The captain’s chair is an example of another core exercise gym machine where your legs are hanging in the air. This is basically a seat without a seat where you lean with your arms on an armrest.

For core workouts, this can be more effective since you don’t have to worry about your grip muscles fatiguing. The downside is that your legs don’t have as much room to move compared to hanging from a pull-up bar.

Lastly, if you don’t have the previous options, you can also create a hanging setup with 2 stable objects like for example two weight benches.

You will have a lot less mobility but this will allow you to do some of the hanging core exercises below.

1. L-hangs

This first exercise is a beginner-friendly option that can be done on the pull-up bar, captain’s chair, and other hanging setups. To do an L-hang with a pull-up bar take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raise your legs held together upwards to about hip height. Your legs should be more or less stretched throughout the exercise.
3. Hold this position for an extended amount of time.

You can also do a simple hold like this in a knee raise position, which means letting your lower legs hang. You can also add weights to this exercise by wearing good ankle weights or clamping weights between your legs.

Keep in mind that this L-hang is a type of isometric exercise. In simpler words, this means that you engage your muscles in a more static way, without moving a lot. On the other hand, you have isotonic exercises where you engage your muscles in a dynamic way, by moving.

Isotonic exercises are generally more useful for building muscle. That means that the other hanging exercises on this list are generally more effective for building bigger core muscles.

2. Knee and leg raises

Knee raises can be done on most hanging setups but for leg raises you will likely need a captain’s chair or pull-up bar. To do a knee or leg raise on the captain’s chair take the following steps:

1. Take place on the captain’s chair by putting your arms on the supports, and back against the back support. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. For the knee raise, start raising your knees held together upwards. Let gravity do its work on your lower legs throughout the exercise. For the leg raise, you keep your legs stretched but in this step, they just hang downwards.
3. Slowly raise your knees to at least hip height for the knee raise or your feet to at least hip height for the leg raise. Once you are at your highest point you can hold for a second or less.
4. Lower your legs back into the position in step 2 in a controlled manner.

If you are more of a workout beginner you can start with knee raises. These are generally less challenging than leg raises. If that is still too hard you can start by raising your knees only a small amount.

On the other hand, if bodyweight leg raises are not challenging enough you can use something like ankle weights to make knee and leg raises weighted and in turn more difficult.

3. Sideways knee and leg raises

The previous two hanging core exercises were mainly focused on your abs, the muscles in the middle of your core. These next examples will focus more on your obliques, core muscles in your sides. To do a sideways knee raise on a pull-up bar take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raising your knees held together upwards. Slightly tilt your hips to the left or the right so that the knee of that side is in a higher position than the other knee. Let gravity do its work on your lower legs throughout the exercise.
3. Raise your knees to at least hip height. Once you are at the highest you can hold for a second or less.
4. Start lowering your knees until your legs are back into starting position.
5. Repeat but with the other knee in the higher position.

Once your skill level is up for it you can consider doing sideways leg raises or sideways knee raises with extra weights to make this exercise more challenging.

4. Knee tuck twists

Depending on the captain’s chair and your flexibility you may be able to do knee tuck twists on this machine. However, a sturdy pull-up bar is likely the better choice for this exercise. To do knee tuck twists on a pull-up bar take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raise your knees as close to your chest as comfortable. Let your lower legs hang down.
3. Twist your legs as far as comfortable to one side.
4. Return your legs to the position of step 2.
5. Twist your legs as far as comfortable to the other side.
6. Return to the position of step 2.

Knee tucks twists are a hanging core exercise that engages your abs in a more isometric, static, way and at the same time your obliques in a more isotonic, dynamic, way.

5. Hanging rotations

For hanging rotations you preferably want a pull-up bar but you can also do this exercise with a small range of motion on other hanging setups. To do hanging rotations on a pull-up bar take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raise your legs held together upwards to about hip height. Your legs should be more or less stretched throughout the exercise.
3. Move your feet to one side as far as comfortable.
4. Return your legs to the position of step 2.
5. Move your feet as far as comfortable to the other side.

Make sure you don’t twist your body too far to avoid any injuries. Keeping your movements slow and controlled is definitely recommended for this exercise.

Hanging rotations mainly work your oblique muscles.

6. Around the worlds

For this next hanging core exercise you definitely want a sturdy pull-up bar. Once you have that, to do an around the world take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Make a big circle with your feet while keeping your legs stretched. Ideally, at their highest point, you want your feet to be above your head but if that is not yet within your capabilities you can start with repetitions with smaller circles and build up from there.
3. Repeat in the opposite direction.

Keep your movement slow and controlled to make the most of the around the world. This exercise will give all of your core muscles a hard time.

7. Toes to bar

The name may imply differently but you can also do a similar movement as the toes to bar exercise on a captain’s chair. That being said, to do the toes to bar exercise on a pull-up bar take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Move your feet upward until they touch the pull-up bar. Keep your legs slightly less than stretched throughout the movement.
3. Lower you feet again into starting position.

The toes to bar is a relatively advanced exercise. If you are new to core training you will likely have to start with knee and leg raises.

8. Windshield wipers

For windshield wipers you definitely need the room and movement flexibility of a pull-up bar. To do a windshield wiper take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raise your legs held together upwards until they are in more or less a vertical line. Keep your legs slightly less than stretched throughout the exercise.
3. Twist your body so that your legs turn sideways until they are in a horizontal line.
4. Return your legs to the position of step 2.
5. Twist your body so that your legs turn sideways until they are in a horizontal line at the opposite side.
6. Return to the position of step 2.

Windshield wipers on the pull-up bar are a challenging exercise that will engage both your abs and obliques.

9. Knee-to-elbows

The point of the next exercise is to bring your knees to elbow height when hanging. This means you do want a pull-up bar for this option. To do a knee-to-elbow take the following steps:

1. Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing forward. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Slowly move your knees up until they touch your elbows.
3. Lower your legs back into starting position in a controlled motion.

The straight upward version of knee-to-elbows mainly works your ab muscles. You can also do the sideways variation where you move one knee to the elbow of the opposite side.

This will also train your oblique muscles a lot. Make sure you do the same number of repetitions with each knee up to avoid any muscle imbalances.

10. Crisscrosses

Crisscrosses can be done on a wide variety of hanging setups. To do a crisscross on the captain’s chair take the following steps:

1. Take place on the captain’s chair by putting your arms on the supports, and back against the back support. Let your legs hang down for now.
2. Raise your legs held together upwards to about hip height. Your legs should be more or less stretched throughout the exercise.
3. Move both of your legs to the opposite side, one will have to be slightly higher and go over the other.
4. Return to the neutral position where they are pointing forward.
5. Move both of your legs to the opposite side again, this time make the leg that previously went over the other one go under the other one.
6. Repeat for a number of repetitions or a certain amount of time.

Even though your legs do move, this hanging core exercise will engage both your abs and obliques in a more isometric, static, way.